Comparing Sudan to its peers in Africa and the Arab world with regard to knowledge economy existence and development

Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to examine the existence and development of the Knowledge Economy (KE) in Sudan.Design/Methods /approach: A evidence is gathered from different national and international sources to corroborate the country’s KE story and to compare its performance to peer African and Arab countries. The performance is judged based on tacit and codified knowledge strands, quantified using several international indicators and measurements.Findings: Evidence reveals that Sudan is lagging in many aspects of the KE, including low investments in R&D activities and labour, technological and skills capabilities.Originality/value: The findings support further understanding of the mechanisms of development and functioning of the KE in Sudan and may trigger strategic reforms aimed at building a conducive environment for the use of knowledge in economic development.Keywords: knowledge economy; KE; educational attainments; R&D; capabilities; Sudan.